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Colchester plan includes roundabout, bike path

Colchester's Selectboard has approved proposals to build the town's first traffic roundabout and a shared-use bike path in the Malletts Bay area as part of a larger initiative focused on that area of the town.

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A roundabout is planned for the intersection of East Lakeshore Drive, West Lakeshore Drive and Blakely Road in Colchester, seen on Thursday, October 12, 2017.(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)Buy Photo

Colchester's Selectboard has approved proposals to build the town's first traffic roundabout and a shared-use bike path in the Malletts Bay area as part of a larger initiative focused on that area of the town.

The roundabout, which will be placed at the intersection of West Lakeshore Drive, East Lakeshore Drive and Blakely Road, is expected to be completed in about three to five years. Bike path construction, which will widen a sidewalk along West Lakeshore Drive, may take up to five years or more, said Colchester Director of Public Works Bryan Osborne.

Those two projects along with a third project focused on stormwater improvements approved for the area will cost $14.4 million. The improvements are part of the town's Malletts Bay Initiative, which began about two years ago and is focused on refining a vision for Malletts Bay Village.

The projects were approved during the Colchester Selectboard's meeting Tuesday. Multiple alternatives had been presented to the Selectboard at a previous meeting, but Osborne and several other project members made recommendations Tuesday based on community and expert feedback gathered through the process. Osborne said the team also consulted key stakeholders, such as various town staff, emergency personnel and school district officials.

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A roundabout is planned for the intersection of East Lakeshore Drive, West Lakeshore Drive and Blakely Road in Colchester. The view from Blakely Road looking northwest is seen on Thursday, October 12, 2017.(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)

Osborne said the town will use local capital budget funds to leverage state and federal grant opportunities to pay for the projects. The town will seek voter approval if it needs to tap into Local Option Tax funds or property tax, according to the motion approved by the Selectboard last week.

While presenting the roundabout option last week, Project Manager David Saladino of consulting firm VHB said the roundabout would address existing capacity and safety issues.

"There's a fairly high level of crashes at the intersection," Saladino said, providing an example.

The roundabout project, which also includes stormwater improvements, will cost $3.4 million. The Selectboad approved the project 3-0 with one member absent and with Herb Downing abstaining since he lives in that project area.

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A roundabout is planned for the intersection of East Lakeshore Drive, West Lakeshore Drive and Blakely Road in Colchester, seen on Thursday, October 12, 2017.(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)

The roundabout will have a single circulating lane and a 90-feet diameter island with landscaping in the center, according to plans presented Tuesday. Osborne said the center will likely be adorned with some sort of sign or monument, making it clear that people have arrived in Malletts Bay.

"We're looking to take what we think will be a very effective traffic solution, but use it to make a real artistic kind of a statement to further the cause of creating Malletts Bay as a real destination point," Osborne said.

High-visibility crossing for pedestrians with pavement markings and signs are also part of the plan. Saladino said the project members are looking to put in new pedestrian signals with count-down timers.

"During one peak day in the summertime, we saw over 500 pedestrians cross this one crosswalk in the course of 12 hours," Saladino said. "It gets very well-used, particularly during the summertime, so we want to make sure we've got optimal accommodations."

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A roundabout is planned for the intersection of East Lakeshore Drive, West Lakeshore Drive and Blakely Road in Colchester, seen on Thursday, October 12, 2017. The plans called for an expansion of the existing sidewalk into a multi-user path.(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)

A second plan approved authorizes the placement of a shared-use bike and pedestrian path along the south side of West Lakeshore Drive where a sidewalk is currently. The plan will widen the pathway from 5 feet to 10 feet so pedestrians and bicyclists can use the path, which will stretch from Prim Road to the Bayside intersection.

"The purpose here is improving safety and mobility both for pedestrians and cyclists along that corridor," Saladino said.

The plan will additionally include a five-feet-wide concrete sidewalk on the north side of the road from the State Fishing Access to the Lakeshore Drive Shopping Plaza. Osborne called this a "strong economic benefit" for the plan.

Osborne said the plan recognizes that the "state boat launch is a significant pedestrian generator, and it creates a direct linkage to connect that to pedestrian destinations, like restaurants, shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, marine tackle, things of that nature."

The bike path project, which includes stormwater improvements in the area, will cost $5.4 million. The Selectboard approved the project 4-0.

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A roundabout is planned for the intersection of East Lakeshore Drive, West Lakeshore Drive and Blakely Road in Colchester, seen on Thursday, October 12, 2017.(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizMurrayBFP.